“I feel really bad for Jack Edwards,” Cooke responds. “The timing of his comments, and the way he chooses to carry himself at such an important time for the city of Boston and the whole country. It’s just bad timing.”

Meanwhile, NBC’s Mike Milbury called Cooke a “skunk” during a pregame show on Monday.

“He gets paid to be controversial. If I sat around and worried about every reporter’s comments, I’d barely have enough time to focus on my job as a hockey player, as a father, and as a husband. It happens. I take an appreciation for the roles that they’re in, but I don’t put a lot of time or effort into how it affects me,” Cooke said.

“When I started this whole process and I vowed that I’d change my game, I knew it wouldn’t end after one season. I knew people were still going to have their opinions from the past. A lot of people live in the past. For me, that’s unhealthy. I needed to move forward, and I’ve done that. I don’t expect that from other people.”

Cooke also revisits why he did not fight against the Ottawa Senators on Monday night, and looks ahead to the team’s goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Matt Cooke joins Vinnie & Cook each week on Sportsradio 93.7 The Fan.